Can you imagine how difficult having children was for poor pioneer women living in Newton County, AR? Many of the cabins had only two rooms, were heating by a wood fireplace. Sometimes the kitchen and the rest of the house was separated with two entry doors. Lemuel Owen and Margaret Blevins Standridge lived in such a little cabin. His land includes where the Ben Hur Post Office set and where the Ben Hur Freewill Baptist Church is today. So his little cabin was likely in one of these locations. If you look at the area today you will see a big hollow and then a hill in the distance. I am not sure where their cabin was built, but I would guess very near Highway 16. Lemuel owned 160 acres of land, a quarter of a section. He was able to stay out of all the fracases and killings during the war. His oldest son, James K. Polk Standridge, rode a horse to Dardanelle, AR and joined the Union Army in December of 1863 and served until the War was over. He had two young boys at home--Alexander born in 1849 and Lemuel Owen Junior, 1856, and little Howard Standridge's birth was April 7, 1861. All his other children at home were girls. His oldest daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1837 and on her Civil War Pension application she said she was born at Carrollton, AR. Next, he had Mary born in 1841. They were living on his land by then in present Newton County, AR. Lydia Margaret was born in 1842, Kisiah Emeline 1847, and Angeline 1854. So by 1858, Lemuel Owen and Margaret Standridge had three boys at home and five girls! That seems like a huge family to us today, but in 1858 it was normal.
Margaret knew by late fall 1857 that she was expecting again. How could that little cabin hold all those children and the two parents. By early spring, Margaret would have realized that she was extremely large in the stomach. I am sure as her due date neared she was aware she carried more than one child. She may have even had to take to her bed, but she had good help in Elizabeth, Mary, Lydia, Angeline, and Kizziah plus James K. Polk, Alex, and Lem were there to do chores and garden work.
Lucinda grew up and on July 26, 1876 she married Richard William Hubble, son of Richard Hubble and Louisa Ratcliff. She died in 1884 and did not have any children. She may have died in childbirth as that was a leading cause of a young mother's death at that time. Richard married second Alabama Standridge, daughter of her cousin Richard Standridge. They moved to Oklahoma and had a large family.
Sudie Brassfield, daughter of Louvinia and John Brassfield
Her Aunt Martha Standridge Brassfield raised Sudie.
Martha married John's brother Abner Brassfield
Letter from Louvinia Standridge Brassfield to James K. Polk Standridge on the
death of his son
Louvinia married married John Brassfield on July 23, 1874. They married in Newton County, Missouri. At first when I saw their marriage I thought a mistake had been made and the wrong state was listed, but no, they married in Newton County, MO. I do not know if the entire family went there or just Louvinia. Newton County, MO, is near the Neosho River where Lemuel's sister, Mary Standridge Jones lived. Her home was near, but in Indian Territory. Between 1876 and 1892, they had these children: Cinda Elizabeth, Abbie (died young), James Tobe, Ida Mae, Margaret, George Washington, Mattie, John Moss, and Sudie. John Brassfield died in 1893 and Louvinia died in 1895. Several of their children were still young. John Brassfield moved from Arkansas to Hoyt, Indian Territory, about 1882 where he lived until 1884, at which time he removed to Eufaula, Indian Territory. Here, six miles due east of Eufaula, Oklahoma, is located the Brassfield Cemetery where he, his wife and his kin are buried. On the Canadian River, he and his descendants operated the Brassfield Ferry until it was swept away in the overflow of 1906. In 1890 John moved to Brooken, Indian Territory, where he purchased a general merchandise store from J.C. Belt. John and Louvinia had a successful life in Indian Territory. When James K. Polk Standridge lost his young son, Robert Lemuel Standridge to T B. Louvinia wrote letters back to her brother expressing her sorrow for his family. I have copies of these.
Sarah Standridge and Pete Garrison are in the back row on the right. Her hair parted in the middle and he with a mustache.
This is the same day as above. Sarah Standridge is on the back row with large white collar.
Pete and Sarah Standridge Garrison
Sarah Standridge probably was called an old maid at this time. In 1880 she is still living with her parents along with siblings, Howard and Martha, but in the early 1890's a suitor came calling. She married Pete Garrison, brother of Charlie Garrison. Probably because of her age, she only raised one daughter--Fannie Margaret Garrison, born in 1898. Pete and Sarah had a son Jack Garrison in 1893 but he died by 1895. Pete and Sarah were wonderful folks according to Granny Renfroe. They raised several children of Pete's brother Dan. Daniel Garrison married Mill Alex's daughter Elizabeth Standridge. Elizabeth died in 1909. She and Dan had three little girls. Sarah and Pete raised them as their own. I thought Dan died but I later found him living in Colorado with a new wife and twin boys! Guess raising three little girls would be a difficult task for a man. Sarah was there to help.
Margaret Standridge had two more children after the triplets! Howard Standridge was born in 1861 and his sister Martha in 1863--right in the middle of all that Civil War turmoil. She was able to get them to adulthood, too! Margaret died March 23, 1900 and was laid to rest in Sissom Cemetery. Joe Howard Standridge said she was a Blevins before marriage. Sarah Standridge Garrison's daughter Fannie said Margaret's maiden name was Blair. With all my DNA expertise, I am unable to figure out who Margaret was at birth. She said on every census--1850, 1860, (can't find Lemuel in 1870) AND 1880 that she was born in 1820 in Missouri. She may be Squire Blackie Blevins' sister or the daughter of Luke Blevins and Margaret Roberts Blevins, but I can find no proof of neither!
No comments:
Post a Comment